Global Labour Agreements: A Framework for Rights

By Ian Graham and Andrew Bibby

Framework agreements between multinational corporations and global unions are becoming more common. What can they achieve, and how do they relate to ILO standards?

The authors look at a host of such agreements signed over the past 12 years and how they are changing the world of work. The basis for the ILO role in this process is its recent major declaration the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy. It promotes cooperation between governments, business and labour. The ILO has also published a guide to the declaration on knowing and using the universal guidelines for social responsibility.

(ILO World of Work; no. 45, December 2002)